Warranty

The Navigator comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Land Cruiser’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year and 14,000 miles sooner.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Navigator 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Land Cruiser. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Land Cruiser ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

The Navigator has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln 7th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Navigator’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Navigator has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Lincoln Navigator, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Land Cruiser.

Tires and Wheels

The Navigator Base’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Land Cruiser’s standard 60 series tires. The Navigator Select/Reserve/Black Label’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Navigator Base has standard 20-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Land Cruiser. The Navigator Select/Reserve/Black Label offers 22-inch wheels.

The Lincoln Navigator’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Toyota Land Cruiser only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Lincoln Navigator has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota Land Cruiser has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Navigator offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Land Cruiser’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Navigator’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Navigator’s wheelbase is 10.3 inches longer than on the Land Cruiser (122.5 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Navigator is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Land Cruiser.

For greater off-road capability the Navigator has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Land Cruiser (9.6 vs. 8.9 inches), allowing the Navigator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The front grille of the Navigator uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Navigator uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Cargo Capacity

The Navigator’s cargo area provides more volume than the Land Cruiser.

Navigator

Land Cruiser

Behind Third Seat

19.3 cubic feet

16.1 cubic feet

Third Seat Folded

57.5 cubic feet

43 cubic feet

Second Seat Folded

103.3 cubic feet

81.7 cubic feet

The Navigator has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Navigator’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Navigator’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Land Cruiser’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Navigator’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Toyota Land Cruiser is limited to 8100 pounds. The Navigator offers up to a 8300 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Navigator has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The Land Cruiser doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lincoln service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 33% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 17th.

Ergonomics

The Navigator has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Land Cruiser, the Navigator offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, foot pedal distance, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Navigator (except Base) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Navigator and the Land Cruiser have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Navigator is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Land Cruiser prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Navigator’s exterior PIN entry system. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Navigator has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Navigator’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Land Cruiser’s power mirror controls are on the dash, hidden behind the steering wheel, where they are awkward to manipulate.

The Navigator (except Base)’s optional Enhanced Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Navigator is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Navigator owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Navigator will cost $1035 to $1590 less than the Land Cruiser over a five-year period.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Navigator as the 2018 North American Truck of the Year. The Land Cruiser has never been chosen.

The Lincoln Navigator/Navigator L outsold the Toyota Land Cruiser by over five to one during the 2018 model year.